Latest news with #ViralHog
AFP
09-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Ukraine explosion clip misrepresented as Mideast conflict
" ," reads an Indonesian-language TikTok post shared on June 28, 2025. The short video shows an explosion at night near a building complex. Image Screenshot of the false post captured July 8, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The video also surfaced on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and was shared in posts written in English, Arabic and Azerbaijani. The Middle East adversaries traded devastating missile attacks after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities (archived link). The strikes left more than 900 people dead in Iran and 28 people dead in Israel. A ceasefire announced on June 24 ended the war (archived link). A reverse image search of keyframes on Google found a higher quality version of the video uploaded on the website ViralHog (archived link). "A Shahed drone, launched by Russian forces, strikes a residential high-rise building in Kyiv, Ukraine. The video captures the exact moment of impact and explosion," reads its caption which states the clip was filmed June 9, 2025. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the ViralHog video The reverse search also yielded pages that show a similar looking apartment complex in Ukraine (archived here and here). A picture of a building in Kyiv uploaded by a Ukraine-based real estate company matches elements in the circulating clip including the yellow fence around the park and an entrance door (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of falsely shared video (L) and a picture from a Ukraine-based real estate firm, with similarities highlighted by AFP AFP has debunked other false claims about the Iran-Israel war here.
AFP
18-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Unrelated blast, chaos videos misrepresented as Israel-Iran crisis
"Israel vs Iran today 13/06/2025," reads text superimposed on a Facebook video shared June 15, 2025. It shows a massive blast filmed from the sea and then cuts to a clip of people running across an open area. Image Screenshot of the false post, taken on June 16, 2025 After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran denies (archived link). At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Iran said June 15 that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then. Similar posts surfaced on Facebook and YouTube but neither clip depicts the Israel-Iran conflict. Beirut port blast A reverse image search on Google found the first footage published by video licencing agency ViralHog on August 14, 2020 (archived link). "Jet Skiers Capture Shockwave from Beirut," says the caption to the clip which has been mirrored in the false posts. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and video published by ViralHog AFP previously debunked posts that have misrepresented the clip as showing a scene from the Gaza war. Similar clips of the port blast captured from the water were posted by Canadian news outlet Global News and American broadcaster Voice of America (archived here and here). Cheerleading chaos Further reverse searches found the second video in a March 1, 2025 report from American news channel NBC 5 about people running away from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas following reports of an active shooter (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and video from NBC 5 Around 58,000 people were attending a cheer competition when the chaotic evacuation occurred, CBS News separately reported. Authorities said there was no active shooter (archived link). AFP was able to confirm the location of the video by comparing it with Google Maps satellite imagery of the parking lot near the convention centre (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and corresponding Google Map satellite view AFP has debunked more misinformation about the Israel-Iran conflict here.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Unrelated blast, chaos videos misrepresented as Israel-Iran crisis
"Israel vs Iran today 13/06/2025," reads text superimposed on a Facebook video shared June 15, 2025. It shows a massive blast filmed from the sea and then cuts to a clip of people running across an open area. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran denies (archived link). At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Iran said June 15 that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then. Similar posts surfaced on Facebook and YouTube but neither clip depicts the Israel-Iran conflict. A reverse image search on Google found the first footage published by video licencing agency ViralHog on August 14, 2020 (archived link). "Jet Skiers Capture Shockwave from Beirut," says the caption to the clip which has been mirrored in the false posts. A catastrophic blast on August 4, 2020 -- one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history -- devastated large parts of Lebanon's capital Beirut, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500 (archived link). It was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been unsafely stored for years after arriving by ship. AFP previously debunked posts that have misrepresented the clip as showing a scene from the Gaza war. Similar clips of the port blast captured from the water were posted by Canadian news outlet Global News and American broadcaster Voice of America (archived here and here). Further reverse searches found the second video in a March 1, 2025 report from American news channel NBC 5 about people running away from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas following reports of an active shooter (archived link). Around 58,000 people were attending a cheer competition when the chaotic evacuation occurred, CBS News separately reported. Authorities said there was no active shooter (archived link). AFP was able to confirm the location of the video by comparing it with Google Maps satellite imagery of the parking lot near the convention centre (archived link). AFP has debunked more misinformation about the Israel-Iran conflict here.
